


Don’t Panic

by LuxKen27



Series: A Road Less Travelled [20]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dark, F/M, Post-Canon, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-04-17
Updated: 2009-04-17
Packaged: 2018-04-16 17:01:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4633134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuxKen27/pseuds/LuxKen27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following a lengthy battle, Sesshoumaru finds himself face-to-face with an even deadlier foe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don’t Panic

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The _Inuyasha_ concept, story, and characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Media.

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath, casting a wide, silent glance at his surroundings. It had been a long day; his courtyard-turned-battlefield, littered with corpses, was testimony enough for that fact. The enemy had been swift, the attack a surprise, but his well-trained forces had finally beaten them into retreat.

He nodded grimly to his general. “They’ve all left?” he asked, swiping Bakusaiga once in the air before replacing it at his hip.

“Yes, my lord,” the general replied, eyeing his master warily. 

“Fine,” Sesshoumaru said. “I trust we did not lose many men?” His armed forces were among the most elite youkai warriors in the entire country. Even during an unexpected raid, to lose great swathes of them would’ve been unthinkable.

His general shook his head. “Indeed not, my lord. We have served you proudly and honorably.”

Sesshoumaru watched as the medics, under the direction of his court physician, scurried through the bloody battlegrounds, picking through the corpses for their injured or fallen kin. “As always,” Sesshoumaru murmured in dismissal. “You are free to leave.”

The general bowed and turned, gathering the remaining forces and heading back inside the safety of the inner castle walls. Sesshoumaru continued to stand where he was, something disturbing niggling at the back of his mind. He furrowed his brow as he watched the medics bustle about, trying to pinpoint why he was so abruptly plagued with unease.

 _Where is my wife?_ he suddenly thought, glancing about. His scowl deepened as he surveyed the landscape. It was odd that she had not found him yet; she knew the lay of the land well enough by now that returning to his side after a skirmish took no more than five or ten minutes, even from the furthest points of his holdings.

“My lord!”

Sesshoumaru turned, the sudden cry piercing through his reverie. One of the medics was waving frantically at him in an attempt to catch his attention. “My lord, it is your lady wife!”

Sesshoumaru frowned as he set off, approaching the kneeling young man at his usual languid pace. His heart beat steadily in his chest, his thoughts turning slightly annoyed as he walked. Kagome was among the most skilled of the fighters under his protection, and she’d always insisted on taking part in any battles that came their way. Recognizing her stubbornness for what it was, he’d insisted on training her to use a sword in complement with her bow and arrows. However… _How many times have I told her to wear armor?_ he groused. _And how many times has she refused, saying she could watch her own back?_

“My lord,” the medic breathed, completely intimidated as Sesshoumaru glowered down at him. “She’s in a bad way.”

Sesshoumaru could see that for himself – Kagome lay on her stomach, a deep, ugly, bleeding gash sliced across her back. For a moment, his world tilted on its axis; his vision blurred and became tainted with red as his youki raged at the sight of her injuries. He shoved the quivering medic out of the way, falling to the ground beside her, alarm rising fast and high in his gut.

He fought to contain himself as he gently rolled her over. “Kagome,” he murmured softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. A small wave of relief showered him as he realized she was still breathing, albeit shallowly.

She did not respond.

He stood swiftly, drawing Tenseiga. “Show me,” he commanded, gripping the hilt of the sword so tightly his entire arm shook under the pressure.

Tenseiga glowed blue, humming softly as its magic rose to life, showing him the caretakers of the underworld. The little imps were cackling as they went about their work, chaining his wife to the ground, sucking the life force from her body. He struck at them with unnecessary force, slicing the air above her face. All but one of them disappeared with a cry, the lone resistor glancing back at him with a sadistic expression. 

Sesshoumaru was momentarily stunned, watching as the imp dropped the chain it had been working with and crawled up on her chin, sucking hard, attempting to draw her soul from her body. The taiyoukai growled, earning a shocked look from the medic a few feet away, and swiped at his foe again.

“Leave her be!” he snarled, but the imp only laughed, pulling harder. Sesshoumaru blanched when he saw Kagome’s soul rise to the surface, a pale form struggling, but losing the battle to stay inside her unconscious body.

 _What is this?!_ Sesshoumaru asked himself. He’d always been able to dispatch the guardians of the underworld with one blow from Tenseiga; instead, the sword’s power only seemed to transfer to this demon, strengthening it.

“M-my lord!” the medic yelped, scrambling to his knees and shifting backwards with great haste.

Sesshoumaru’s head snapped up, his attention narrowing on the now frantic young man. “You see it, too?” he inquired, earning a swift nod.

His youki flared, filling the air around them. The imp paid him no heed, so intent was it, standing up on her chin now as it succeeded in its task. Sesshoumaru fought to reign in the swell of rage that accompanied the unleashing of his youki, his mind working overtime to find a solution to this problem. Fear and panic flooded through him as he watched Kagome’s soul emerge from her body, thick and heavy and resistant – and then he saw his chance.

Shifting Tenseiga to his left hand, he unsheathed Bakusaiga with his right. He concentrated hard on keeping Tenseiga’s magic alive, the glow it emitted allowing him to see Kagome’s soul. He readied himself, his heart pounding as time crawled by, waiting for the imp to finally leech enough of her soul out that it would be forced to break contact with her body. Only then could he strike without fear of harming her further.

His blood pounded in his ears, his youki raging through his body, fighting against his every civilized sense to come alive, to avenge and protect his mate. He was almost to the point of losing control when it happened – the imp shot up in the air, its feet dangling inches away from her body, its contact with her soul growing rapidly closer.

In an instant, he attacked, using both blades together in one swift stroke, killing the strange imp youkai and severing its connection to Kagome’s soul all the same. 

It all happened in a matter of seconds, but to Sesshoumaru, it felt as if a lifetime had passed. He slumped to the ground in relief as her soul descended, filling her body with life once more.

Kagome sighed and blinked, looking battle worn and weary as she gazed up into her husband’s face. “Sesshoumaru,” she breathed, her words cut off as he suddenly embraced her, pulling her close and holding her as gently as he could, mindful of her injury.

She pushed one hand through his hair, smiling weakly as she felt the warm, urgent press of his lips to her neck, startled to feel the intensity of the breath shuttering in his lungs. “Don’t panic,” she whispered. 

“I nearly lost you,” he muttered, burying his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent like a dying man. It was clean, and strong, and he knew she’d be okay. But still, he didn’t release her.

He couldn’t.

“You know I’d never leave you without a fight,” she replied softly.


End file.
